Webcomic Review: Starlight Tavern

Starlight Tavern is a enjoyable sci-fi comic strip created and Written by Bob Salley and Jason Sparich and illustrated by Juan Calle. This hilarious series of strips pokes fun at many archtypes and tropes in the plethora of science fiction franchises.

The Starlight Tavern is its own absurd restaurant at the end of the universe run by a plucky ragtag group of peoples who are just trying to keep service running smoothly despite inevitable chaos that often haunts their little deep space establishment. They are often visited by familiar denizens of the galaxy such as the Lost in Space crew, Mr. Spock or even Flash Gordan singing his own theme song to provide some entertainment (A comic that I had to share in this blog as it is my favorite as of yet!).

However, not all their patrons are as well behaved as those mentioned; like most drinking establishments its not without its bit of scum and villiany as monsters litter it's tables and restrooms as well.

Even with these recognizable guest stars the cast  of Starlight holds its own, and refuses to be overshadowed by such well known faces. The colorful cast of the overworked and underpaid staff try to make it by interacting and flirting in a well executed sci-fi version of "Waiting." The wait staff are emotionally inviting providing more than just punchlines, as a welcoming lens of familiar in the midst of the strange intergalactic goings on that passes through their establishment.

They add to the a-list by adding their own new alien characters to the mix, exploring strange scifi what ifs. Like the more recent strip where they reenact elements of Deer Hunter in space. They also relive other famous movie moments often calling In its supporting cast whose unique hijinks keep things familiar and fresh. Such as its own Stormtrooper knockoffs that act as the Moe, Larry, and Curly of the group getting into trouble and sabotaging each other.

Flash Gordan serenades the bar

Though a parody comic, they don't hold back on the art, which is well crafted using thick lines, bright colours and two-tone shading techniques to bring the book to life. One of my favorite things to see is watching artists expressing familar characters from popular series using their own style, and its exciting to consider who might show up next. I have been hoping to see a Farscape cameo, but none as of yet-which means I just have to keep reading.

But it doesn't start at Starlight Tavern as it seems to be its own spinoff of the creators comic series, Salvagers; a story that explores the dirty blue collared element of the galaxy. You don't have to read Salvagers to get Starlight as it holds its own even without a strong linear narrative. Instead I find myself curious about the comic from reading the webcomic. A humorous webcomic featuring much of the familiar in scifi is an innovative way to invite interested readers into a whole seperate series which features elements that are found in Starlight Tavern.

So i'd recommend giving Starlight Tavern a pour and then try out some Salvagers for the next round!

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is a blue collared fellow, that is dead broke from illustrating books like WOW Signal for biscuits. You can see his work at Gryphon Knights Comics.

Bib
http://www.starlighttavern.com/salvagers.html

http://gryphonknights.com/wow-space-race.html

Webcomic Review: Dark River

I used to hate twitter, I didn't understand its purpose at all. However, once I started gryphonknights.com with Sean, & D, it was evident that social media was going to be an extremely important. Since starting our Twitter account (gryphonknights, naturally), I've discovered more and more webcomics.

A couple of months ago, I tripped over digital rock and stumbled across a book called Dark River. Popping open the page, I was met with text. In our image saturated world, the written word has become cheap, and can often alienate visitors. However, these words were bright green,eye-catching, and strewn across a painted starscape; an excellent choice for luring in readers.

The crew of a ship sucked into a Plodt Hole tries to ground themselves and find their way home while navigating misguided scientists and an endangered race of cyborgs. It is a sci-fi adventure similar in tone to Star Trek: Voyager, but peppered with Douglas Adams humor. The panel per page layout, that seems to be becoming more popular with webcomics, makes the story move quickly. It is easy to become immersed, as the layout leads for quick pacing that at times seems like an animated experience.

I can't really criticize the storytelling it, as I along with others helped craft it. In fact, you too could help continue creating this book. Occasionally the book will come to a point where it asks readers how the story should continue. As entertainment becomes more realistic, it still seems to be lacking in interactivity. While the homages and parodies to Star Trek are fun, the humor and ability to make choices keep things entertaining.  I only wish  that the story  branched off into multiple directions like a "Choose Your Own Adventure."

Dark River is a great example where accepting a set of limitations can set you apart and help create a solid work of art. While the artwork seems like it is created on paint and is really rough, the artist makes it work by embracing his limitations and being consistent. His green overlay and color scheme really engages the eye. The pages where you have to choose is the treat, as you are greeted by a panel that almost seems painted, really visually rewarding. I am looking forward to continuing to contribute and seeing how this book evolves over time.

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is an artist and space alien working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, The Only Choice, Meanwhile, and others.

He wonders if his own crew in The WOW Signal! will ever find their own way home.

WOW! Signal Rebirth

WOW Signal was a fun title to create. I may have mentioned before that I started it to force myself to learn how to draw and color digitally. I started working on the computer about 8 months ago using both adobe photoshop and Illustrator.

Since then, from trial and error and watching tutorial videos online I've had great leaps in my ability. I finished work on the first issue of the Wow Signal which ended up being 15 pages long. I then started work on the second issue. Those first 3 pages of the second issue looked so much better then the first that I decided that I wanted to go back and re-illustrate the first issue of the WOW! Signal so that the style and the images were consistent. I also decided to tweak some of the story telling.

April 2013

If you check the images on the right you can see the difference from the first time I drew the starship Namalsadirah and the second. I also have become better at creating space locales and planets.

A lot of what I learned was often details can help create a complete and realistic image.

December 2013

Taking time to recreate the first issue, has helped me appreciate the amount of growth I've experienced and enjoy the new work that I have been creating.

You can see more of my artwork @ http://sirgryphon.deviantart.com/art/Rebirth-of-the-Namalsadirah-420593958

You can also read my book WOW! SIGNAL and other free comics at http://www.gryphonknights.com/